Op-Ed: Ship confidently with FedEx this holiday season
As the holidays approach, we find ourselves in a time where we seek to spend time with those we love and create new memories. For those who have family and friends living outside of Puerto Rico, FedEx wants to help ensure that packages and shipments, like those delicious holiday traditional dishes from mom or abuela, reach their destination quickly and safely this holiday season.
“At FedEx, we’re ready to help customers share a bit of Puerto Rico with their loved ones living abroad at this special time of the year,” said Rolando Medina, managing director of operations at FedEx Express Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
“We’re committed to providing customers on the island with a variety of offerings and enhancements to make holiday shipping as easy as possible,” he said.
FedEx has flexible delivery options to give both businesses and consumers confidence through this busy season. These include:
Picture Proof of Delivery: Just in time for the holiday season, this new service provides both shippers and recipients with a visual confirmation that their shipments have arrived. Picture Proof of Delivery is available for no signature required, residential deliveries in US, Canada, and Puerto Rico; it is free of charge and does not require enrollment.
FedEx Delivery Manager: Customers can sign up for FedEx Delivery Manager for free to receive notifications by email from FedEx when their package has shipped, if an email has been provided. The recipient also can choose to change the date and location of delivery once the shipment is in progress.
Expansion of our FedEx Retail Network: FedEx has continued expanding its presence in Puerto Rico, recently opening two new FedEx Ship Centers in Bayamón, for a total of 12 FedEx Ship Centers across the island. When shipping refrigerated foods and products, customers can visit a ship center and a representative will help with the appropriate packaging. Customers can also ship or pick up packages at one of the 107 Walgreens stores on the island.
FedEx encourages customers to prepare accordingly and send their packages no later than December20 to ensure that they reach their destination by Christmas Eve. As for New Year’s Eve, the company recommends sending packages by December 28th.
To better help Puerto Ricans navigate their holiday shipping needs, the experts at FedEx have compiled a list of tips to keep in mind when packaging and sending shipments:
- Tip 1: If packing an oddly sized or shaped gift, square off all angles and fill hollow spaces with cushioning wrap to prevent breakage.
- Tip 2: Protect packages with fragile items, such as artisan crafts, by using at least an inch of cushioning, bubble-side inward. For extra protection, FedEx also recommends wrapping your package in two boxes.
- Tip 3: If reusing a box, make sure it’s not torn or otherwise damaged from its previous journey.
- Tip 4: If sending those delicious dishes from mom or abuela to your loved ones, make sure to first check out which foods can be shipped, and which cannot. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) puts into effect different directives about what food products can be shipped. Click here for more information.
- Tip 5: Corroborate which items are currently restricted and/or prohibited to ship. For example, alcohol is one of them, so if you were planning on sending coquito, FedEx recommends sending the other ingredients along with your favorite recipe instead. For more information click here.
- Tip 6: If your package needs to be refrigerated, FedEx recommends that those items are shipped in cold shipping packages. For more information on this service, click here.
- Tip 7: Drop an extra shipping label, business card, or letterhead inside the shipment, just in case winter weather in the mainland smears the outside label.
- Tip 8: Seal all flaps and seams with packing tape, making the shape of an H.
- Tip 9: Don’t wrap the outside of your shipping box. Keep the wrapping inside the box.
- Tip 10: Plan ahead and don’t wait until the last moment to ship holiday gifts to loved ones.
